


The Loves

by RavenDarkwood



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ancient Greek Religion & Lore Fusion, Alternate Universe - Cupids, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Wings, At also the dysfunctional relationships is related to the lonely eyes but cupid au they get better, Canon Asexual Character, Dysfunctional Relationships, M/M, Not explict now will be in the future, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Trans Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Well at least Jon and Martin have wings, gnc Jonathan "Jon" Sims I The Archivist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:34:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29436861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenDarkwood/pseuds/RavenDarkwood
Summary: Jon has been called down to Earth for the first time in his life to help out with a fellow Love named Martin in an attempt to help a couple through their relationship, while at the same time they develop feelings for each other.
Relationships: Elias Bouchard/Peter Lukas, Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 5
Kudos: 30
Collections: TMA Valentine's Exchange 2021





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silvercolour](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvercolour/gifts).



Tim smacks Jon’s shoulder with the back of his hand.

Jon ignores him; he absolutely refuses to lose his spot in his work so Tim can point out a particularly cute dove  _ again _ .

This does little to deter Tim from tapping at his arm. “Jon,” Tim hisses. “You need to see this.”

“Tim, I’m in the middle-”

“Jon, it’s  _ Iris _ .”

Jon’s head snaps up. The golden-winged Iris stands not even across the room from them, and they’re not the only ones starring as the messenger goddess hands over a small scroll to Gertrude. She doesn’t stay long, but even this small interaction is notable - it's not very often that they’re visited by a proper deity. More often than not, it’s the attendants or other demigods that visit their humble office.

“What do you think all that’s about?” Jon whispers to Tim as Iris sweeps out the door.

“I have absolutely no idea. Do you think we could just go ask Gertrude?” Tim asks as a playful smile comes to his face.

Jon rolls his eyes. “Come on, no one’s-”

Out of the corner of his eye he watches as Sasha gets up from the books she had been flipping through and walks over to Gertrude. He can only watch in horror as she gestures towards the scroll in Gertrude’s hands.

“She isn’t actually…”

Tim signs a bit, just staring at Sasha as she smiles at Gertrude and struts over to them with a self-satisfied smile on her face.

“You’re both not going to believe what I just learned,” she whispers as she folds herself into the chair next to Tim.

“I’m still stuck on you actually getting the nerve to ask Gertrude about it,” Tim says with raised eyebrows.

“What did you learn?” Jon asks, leaning close.

“Apparently the order’s from on high. The scroll’s wrapped in ivy, so I’m guessing it has something to do with the Theoi Gamelioi.”

Tim whistles. “Who do you think the orders came from? One of the Erotes, maybe?”

Sasha grins and moves in even closer. “The scroll has a seal, and I got a pretty good glimpse of it.” She looks between the two of them as they inch closer. “It was pearlesque, and bore the symbols of an alpha, a goose, and a rose.”

Tim gapes. “You don’t think the Risen from the Sea sent it, do you?”

“Jonathan!”

They all jump up as Gertrude yells over to him. Her cold stare freezes Jon in place, even as she motions for him to come over.

“ _ Jon _ ?” Sasha asks, astounded.

“Jon - get going. You’re not going to want to make her mad.” Tim takes Jon’s shoulder and pushes him gently towards Gertrude’s general direction. Jon is so petrified that it takes another gentle shove to get him out of his chair and stumbling after Gertrude into her office.

Her glare doesn’t let up even as she sits down. The scroll is open on her desk, but Jon doesn’t get the chance to read it before Gertrude’s shoving a rather thick file under his nose.

“You’re going down to earth.”

Jon’s so startled by the sudden mass of papers that he’s more distracted by taking them than actually comprehending Gertrude’s words. It’s only when he’s about to open the first page that it hits him. “Down to earth? Me?”

Gertrude laces her fingers together on her lap. The smile she gives him is cold and mocking. “Apparently one of the psithyristês needs a little extra help down below, and requested one of us. The Foam-Born apparently decided that you were the best for the job and sent the orders.”

Jon blinks a few times. “She asked for me specifically?”

“Yes, and you should get going, I can’t imagine that She would appreciate being kept waiting. She isn’t exactly known for her patience.”

Jon is standing before Gertrude finishes her dismissal, and he rushes out of the room to gather his things.

“I’m sorry,” Jon starts even as Tim and Sasha open their mouths to ask questions. “I can’t talk. I’m being sent on a mission, straight from the Theoi Gamelioi itself. I need to go  _ now. _ ”

“ _ You _ are?” Sasha asks loudly.

“Sasha, not now. Good luck - you’ve got this, Jon.” Tim pats Jon on his shoulder as he gathers up all of his things. Jon nods numbly and stumbles towards the door.

He has places to be.

Jon is very late when he finally lands in front of the estate. This is his first time down on earth, and the fog that covers the lands doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon.

He tucks his wings close to his body as he wades through the fog. It feels… empty, cold, and grey. He smells just the hint of sea water, which makes absolutely no sense. He can’t be that close to the ocean.

Jon is used to the smell of the ocean, so this should be familiar. It’s not. It’s grasping and clawing at his edges, leaving them numb, and every moment longer in this fog is another moment Jon is lost. It  _ wants _ him to stay, this cold emptiness, and he can only remember the direction of the mansion he can no longer see and keep walking.

He gives a sigh of relief as he finally finds the front door. He slips through it, discarnate, and prepares for having to travel through people. From what Tim’s told him making yourself intangible and traveling through objects is a very different feeling than traveling through people.

But there’s no one inside.

Jon grips the strap of his messenger bag tightly across his chest. The halls are large, and empty, and are just as cold as outside.

He shivers, and starts walking. 

It isn’t hard to find the wedding. It’s the only part of this whole estate that actually has some noise coming from it, even if it’s obviously just some recording of a classical song.

The wedding is opulent, and honestly, a bit garish. The theme colors seem to be gold, navy, and ivory, but they’re nearly spoiled by just how many diamonds seem to be encrusting everything.

It doesn’t help that there’s only three other people in this massive hall. The first two are the happy couple, one in navy and one in ivory, that are dancing together. The last is a rather large and tall person standing by a table that holds a rather excessive amount of alcohol. This person instantly stands out by the pink strawberry knit sweater that he’s wearing and is clearly not a part of the wedding ceremony. Once Jon spots him he lets out a sigh of relief and crosses the dancefloor.

He’s facing away at first, giving Jon the opportunity to study this Loves’ wings. His coverts are a dark ginger color, the same as his hair, and the rest of his feathers are a dark grey. His wings seem to be built for passive soaring more than anything else, and instead of holding them tight to his back like Jon he leaves them to hang loose and trail along the floor. Even from here Jon can see the absolute mess his feathers are in. He probably hasn’t had help preening in a good long while.

He turns as Jon approaches. He’s holding a glass of some sort of alcohol, and given the decent amount of empty glasses already present it seems like he’s been doing this for a while.

“Oh, you must be the kataskopia I asked for. I’m Martin,” the other Love says as he holds out his empty hand to Jon.

“Jon,” he answers back, attempting to give Martin a strong handshake back.

“Come sit down,” Martin says as he gestures towards some of the chairs with his drink, and takes a seat of his own. “Trust me, no one’s going to be using them.” He takes another gulp of his drink. “Is this your first time down on Earth?”

Jon hesitates, leaning his weight forward on his front leg, but eventually sits down beside Martin. “It is, yes.”

“Have you had a chance to read the file?”

Jon bristles, straining his shoulders. “I was told that the request was immediate. I didn’t have the time.”

Martin shakes his head, and holds up his free hand towards Jon placatingly. “No, no. It’s fine. I was just wondering. With how thick it is I wouldn’t have expected anyone to read it in its entirety.”

Jon studies Martin and his drink, then the opulent, empty wedding, and finally the happy couple in suits that perfectly match decor no one but them is witnessing. “Why is it so thick?”

Martin sighs, and takes a hefty drink. “This is their sixth marriage to each other. I’ve been actively working on this case for ten years now, and every time, every single time I think I’m done, that I’m finally out - ‘oh this time the divorce will surely stick’ or ‘maybe this time they’ll actually talk instead of getting divorced’ - they get divorced or married again and I’m sucked right back into it.” He finishes off his drink and sets the empty glass among the many others. He takes another glass to replace the one he’s done with. “Gods I hate them.”

Jon has stayed frozen throughout Martin’s denouncement of the grooms, and nods slowly. “I see.”

“No, no no no. You don’t get it.” He leans forward and points at the smaller man in ivory. Some of his drink spills out onto the floor in the process, but he doesn’t seem to notice. “They’ve gotten a new… I don’t know, fancy coffee machine thing from Peter’s family, and Elias is just going to throw away the one he currently uses even though it works perfectly fine. Who does that?” Martin lets out a small gag in disgust and drinks more.

“If I may ask,” Jon starts off carefully. “If they’re really so… off and on then why are they your… our concern.”

Martin shakes his head. “Check Elias’ portion of the file. Look under the parentage section.”

Jon’s ichor goes cold but he does as he’s told. His fears are confirmed as he stares down at the golden words on the page.

“The Mother of Desire just wants the best for her son, and she’s determined that this is what he wants, and he shall have it. And that’s why I need you.” Jon looks up and finds Martin’s light grey eyes locked onto his own. “I can try to… influence them, but without knowing what’s going on in their heads, without knowing what buttons I should be pressing I’m about as useful as a god damned cricket. I need you to figure out these buttons.”

Jon raises an eyebrow. “You’ve had ten years, and you haven’t figured that out.”

Martin laughs, and finishes off his drink. “You’ll see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to Gla22 for betaing this chapter!
> 
> Okay so Greek Mythology and other references:
> 
> The Theoi Gamelioi is a group of deities of marriage, which includes Aphrodite, among others.
> 
> Aphrodite's epithets: Risen from the Sea, Foam-Born, Mother of Desire
> 
> Psithyristês - An epithet I stole from Aphrodite that's meant to represent a group of Loves. Meant to be a reference to the lonely. Means "Whispering".
> 
> Kataskopia - Another epithet I stole from Aphrodite that's meant to represent a group of Loves. Meant to be a reference to the eye. Means "Spying" or "Peeping".
> 
> Symbols of Aphrodite: Goose (swan was more Apollo's thing apparently), Roses, Pearls
> 
> Ivy - Means friendship, fidelity, marriage, wedded love, affection in Victorian flower languages
> 
> The Erotes - Basically the Greek versions of cupids. In Greek Mythology the Erotes were a group of gods of love, in this the Loves are basically demigod Erotes Juniors.
> 
> Iris - The goddess of rainbows and another messenger for the gods. The Loves aren't important enough to get Hermes.
> 
> Martin's wings are meant to look like Milvus milvus's wings. Jon's, which haven't been describe yet, are meant to look like Athene blewitti.
> 
> All Greek mythology info from Theoi.com


	2. First Time Holding Hands

“You’re late.”

Martin jumps, and would have knocked over the side table if he was a bit more tangible. “Erato was teaching a class… Never mind. Wait… Did you sleep here?” 

Jon scowls, pushes himself into a sitting position, and brushes off his cherry red pants as if that would straighten all the creases in them. “Yes, well. I thought… observation of the subjects was needed.”

“You've been at this a month, is more observation really needed? Why were you sleeping on the couch? There’s a spare bedroom.” Martin tucks away his notebook, and pulls out the case file.

Jon sighs and rubs at his eyes. “I  _ was _ , but about a half an hour ago they decided that they couldn’t actually walk all the way to their bedroom, and the guest bedroom was a perfectly decent place to fuck. And look, I  _ know _ they can’t see me, but it’s just…”

“No I get it. It’s not like you’re missing anything. Trust me, I avoid it as much as possible. If I hear Elias call Peter a ‘big boy’ one more time I’m going to tear my ears off.”

Jon pauses, and curls up, head in hands as Martin laughs at him. “I could have gone my entire existence without knowing that.”

“Oh I know,” Martin agrees, laughing. “But you get to share in my pain. Besides, honestly it’s for the best to limit our direct contact with them. They both have the… potential to be more aware of us. Elias is a demigod like us after all, and Peter grew up in a religious cult.”

Jon blinks a few times, and glances up at Martin. “Really?”

All laughter disappears from Martin’s face as he nods. “Yeah, the entire family’s awful. Their wedding was at the family estate. I would be glad that Peter is at least a bit distant from them, if, you know, Elias wasn’t also awful in his own special way.”

Jon nods slowly, and thinks back to the fog that smelled like the ocean. “What do they worship? Nothing from our pantheon, surely?”

Martin only shrugs. “No clue. If I’m being honest I’ve tried to stay as far away from the Lukas family as I can. They skeeve me out.”

“That does make sense,” Jon mutters as he remembers the fog he had to fly through to the wedding. Even a month later he still remembers the cold, the emptiness of it all. “Anyways,” Jon says after clearing his throat. “There hasn’t been much change at all lately. Mostly they just have sex, make passive aggressive or otherwise mildly antagonistic jabs at each other, or sit together in silence.” Jon rubs his brow with his free hand.

A door slams further into the apartment.

Martin breathes out a small “oh great” just before Elias matches through the living room, throwing on a bathrobe with one hand and holding a cellphone in the other. His voice is cold, stern, and professional, but his face is curled into a snarl, and his teeth are bared.

Peter follows in his wake, having not bothered to put on a bathrobe. “We were in the middle of something.” His voice is almost gleeful as he watches Elias’ frustrated pacing.

Elias can’t answer, but he does give a cold glare - which does nothing but cause Peter’s glee to turn into snickers.

Martin rushes to Peter’s side, and leans down to whisper in his ear. “He’s obviously having trouble with something, you should-”

He only gets this far before Peter’s giggles fade out, and he turns and walks away. Elias turns away just as quickly, and walks out onto the balcony, slamming the door behind him.

Martin’s wings droops as he sits back on the couch. He sits down, knees up, elbows balanced on his knees. One hand’s rubbing his face as he sighs, and the other is hanging limply.

It takes Jon a few starts and stops, but finally,  _ finally _ , he manages to reach over to take Martin’s free hand.

Martin startles, and slowly lifts his head. He stares at Jon with widened eyes.

“We can do this. They’re just… not talking or being vulnerable. They just…” Jon throws up his shoulders in a shrug. “I don’t know, need to trust each other? We can do this.”

Martin blinks twice before giving Jon a solid nod. He folds his hand around Jon’s, and squeezes his hand. “We can do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to Gla22.
> 
> Erato - One of the muses, specifically the muse of erotic poetry.
> 
> Again, this one bit of greek mythology comes from theoi.com


	3. First Date

“This isn’t a date,” Jon repeats for what feels like the hundredth time. He fixes the collar of his white dress in the mirror, staunchly ignoring the butterflies in his stomach. “We work together, this isn’t a date. We’re probably just… going to talk about the case, that’s all.”

Tim snorts from Jon’s closet. “Which one of us are you trying to convince? Here, put this on.”

Jon turns just in time to get a sweater thrown at him. He catches it and unfolds a red knit sweater with white hearts. “I just want to be realistic. Martin is very nice, yes, and, well, I will admit he’s handsome,” Jon continues as he pulls the sweater over his head. It takes a moment or two to slip his wings through the slits meant for them, but in the end he manages. He looks back at himself in the mirror, and straightens his sweater’s collar. “But I can’t just  _ assume _ that this is a date. How should I do my hair?”

“Half up in a bun, half down, and let your bangs frame your face instead of pinning them back. Do you have any light colored necklaces?” Tim races across the room to rustle through Jon’s jewelry box.

“Um, I have a pearl necklace with a golden open eye?” Jon pulls half of his hair up into a bun with a white scrunchie, decides that it’s terrible and he’s the worst at hair, and pulls it down to try again.

“No, that feels like a lot for how casual your outfit is.” Tim pulls out a simple necklace with an anatomically correct heart, compares the red of the necklace to the red of the sweater, and puts it back. “Oh here we go, perfect.” Tim grabs a golden locket and chain. The locket is heart shaped, but textured to also look like two wings. He walks over behind Jon, and clips the necklace underneath the collar of his dress. “And I mean, you can’t just assume that it’s not a date. What if it is a date and you not thinking about it as a date leaves you unprepared?”

Jon, who had been messing with the locket so it falls nicely on top of his sweater, freezes. And then unfreezes suddenly by throwing his hands up in the air and marching across the room. “I’ve changed my mind. Martin is horrible. Why didn’t he clarify what ‘oh, can we go to a cafe together, just the two of us’ even means? Should I get him flowers? If I do and it’s not a date what do I even do?”

“Just explain the situation, and then get on with eating lunch.” 

“Tim,” Jon groans, and leans against his dresser.

“Jon,” Tim repeats back in the same tone. “Do you want this to be a date?”

“I don’t know,” Jon sighs, and leans his head back. “He’s so nice, and such an bitch and I really do like him so much. I haven’t gone on a date for a very long time, and it’s not as though my last relationship ended very well. What if I ruin things again?”

“Jon.” Tim laces his fingers together and shrugs. “Have you ever considered that maybe… It wasn’t your fault that you and Georgie broke up, and you two just don’t work well together?”

Jon sighs and rolls his eyes. “Let’s just… get back on topic.”

“Right well, pin in that conversation. So, lunch with Martin.”

“Lunch with Martin,” Jon repeats. “I really need to leave soon. We’re going to  _ Pandaisia’s _ .” 

“Hey,” Tim calls. Once Jon looks up to him he grins. “You’re going to have a fun time. If it’s not a date then you’re having fun with a friend, and if it is then maybe you’ll end with a boyfriend.”

“Tim. That doesn’t help. Whatsoever,” he grumbles as he starts to pace.

“Hey.” Tim catches Jon’s arm. “If Martin’s asking you out to eat, romantic or not, he probably likes you in some way. You really don’t need help, just… Keep doing what you were doing before.”

Jon pauses, and then sighs. “You’re… probably right. I just…. I’m just nervous.”

“This is going to be fun,” Tim reassures. “You have to get going though, you’re going to be late.”

Jon eyes snaps to his watch, and hisses out a short curse before rushing out his front door.

The boardwalk’s the busiest part of She Who Turns to Love’s realm. It’s picturesque, with impossibly glittering oceans, golden sand, and lovely, little shops line the streets.

Jon’s early, and he doesn’t want to wait alone in the cafe, so instead he paces the sidewalk across the street. There are so many unknowns, and because of the unknowns he can worry to the fullest extinct of his imagination.

This can go wrong in so many different ways, and all the different ways flit through his mind.

At the end of his pacing trail he spins, and stops as someone catches his eye.

Martin.

Jon can see him through the front windows of  _ Antheia’s Flowers _ , wringing his hand over a few bouquets.

Martin’s getting flowers, presumably for Jon. For their date.

Jon takes in a deep breath, and lets out a shuddering sigh. There. That was easy enough. Now he knows where everything stands and lies and everything in between, and before he can talk himself out of it he marches into the shop.

He spots Martin wringing his hands over a bunch of red roses, before drifting over to some daisies, still glancing over them nervously.

“The roses would probably go with my outfit more,” Jon says in lieu of a greeting, and freezes up. That has to be the worst way he’s introduced himself in a while. He holds his wings tightly against his back and waits.

Martin freezes, and glances back towards Jon. He stares for a moment, glances at him up and down, and finally smiles. “You’re right, but I dunno, red roses feel like a lot for a first date? I mean, they put the meanings on the labels, so it’s a bit hard to pick things out, honestly.”

Jon glances back at the red roses. The inscription under the name says  _ Beauty, Love, I love you, Respect _ . “Yes, I can see that,” Jon mutters. “Maybe we could get carnations?”

“You look really nice,” Martin says, quietly and with a smile.

Jon glances back at Martin, looking at him up and down. He’s wearing red slacks, and a white sweater over a pink button up. “You look lovely as well. Maybe white flowers to go with your outfit?”

Martin blinks, and tilts his head. “What?”

“What?”

“I… I’m not buying myself flowers? I’m buying you flowers.”

Jon blinks. Right. That’s how buying flowers on a date works. “I’m buying you flowers.”

Martin’s eyes widen, and his face goes red. “I-I, Jon, you don’t need to get me flowers.”

Jon shakes his head, glad that he now has a plan for what he’s going to do. He should have thought of it in the first place, and probably would have if he hadn’t been worrying about this being a date or not. He steps over to the white roses. The tag reads,  _ I am worthy of you, Silence, Too Young to Love, I Would be Single, A Heart Unacquainted with Love, Secrecy, Innocence, Purity, Humility _ . “I don’t understand the meanings, they seem to conflict with each other in ways.”

Martin shrugs, hovering nervously at Jon’s side. “Well, I think it comes from a lot of different sources?”

“Well, I’ll just have to keep looking then.” Jon straightens up, and continues his search with Martin trailing along behind him.

They leave the store with Martin holding a bouquet of white carnations, which means “ _ Sweet and Lovely _ ”, among other things.

“You really didn’t need to do this,” Martin says, face still bright red. “I, um, well I didn’t  _ need _ flowers.”

“Well, I didn’t either.” Jon opens the door for  _ Pandaisia’s _ for Martin. “Besides, you deserve nice things too.”

Martin’s blush deepens, and he keeps his eyes down on the flowers.

_ Pandaisia’s _ is a lovely cafe, and Jon and Martin quickly find a booth for themselves in the corner. They slide into the booth across from each other, and after they settle they look at each other and fall into silence.

Right. He didn’t actually plan any conversations for this, and so had no idea what to do.

Thankfully the silence doesn’t last long before their server joins them, and gives Jon a moment to think of a topic of conversation other than work. But of what? Jon’s mind instantly goes blank.

“-and the tea of the day is a white tea with blends of marigold flowers, lavender flowers, and peach and apricot flavors,” she finishes, customer service smile still present.

“I think that sounds lovely,” Martin says with a smile. “What do you think Jon?”

Tea, yes, Martin likes tea. That’s a perfect topic of conversation. “Yes, that sounds lovely.”

She nods. “I’ll be back with a pot and some menus,” she says before she leaves.

“Do you like tea?” Martin asks suddenly, a bit too loudly and abruptly.

“Well I certainly like it more than coffee,” Jon mutters. “I do, though some flavors more than others. I… well, I have a bit of a sweet tooth, so I’m more partial to fruit or floral teas. Though, I will admit I’m not… the best at brewing my own tea. I tend to put the bag in and then forget about it for a couple of hours. I’ve gotten a bit used to drinking cold and oversteeped tea.”

“Oh I’ve done that so many times. Eventually I just got to used to making tea as a way to get away… To get some peace I mean, and I’ve just gotten used to watching the entire process.”

Jon tilts his head, part of him very much wanting to ask, but honestly he could guess that it had something to do with Peter and Elias. He certainly had to take a few moments while watching them for some moments of peace. So he just nods.

They fall into silence.

The server returns with menus, a floral teapot, and two matching tea cups with saucers. As if sensing the tense silence she makes herself scarce rather quickly.

“Oh, um, here let me.” Martin takes the teapot as Jon had started to reach for it. He pours them two cups so quickly he nearly splashes it on the table. 

“Ah. Well. Thank you?”

“Yeah, no problem.” He sits back down, and just stares at his teacup for a moment. “Well, tell me about yourself?”

Jon raises one of his eyebrows. “Like what?”

“I, um. Don’t know? Did you grow up here on Olympus?”

“I did.” Jon tilts his head. “Did you?”

“No, I grew up down on Earth.” Martin looks away from Jon, and taps his knuckles along the table. “Let me tell you, it was quite the surprise when I learned that my dad was a whole god and everything.”

Jon squints as he looks Martin up and down for a moment. The answer comes quickly once he actually stops to think about it. “Pothos, right? You look-”

“Just like him but bigger, I know. I’ve heard it before.” Martin stops for a moment, and takes a small breath. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. It’s just…”

“Complicated. I understand. Most people around here do.” Jon pauses to take a sip of his tea. It is rather good, and it would be a shame to waste it. “My parents are Anteros and Eumolpe. Neither were keen on actually raising a child, so I was raised by my maternal aunt who is also my paternal grandfather’s wife because it’s not as though the family tree can get even more complicated,” he says as he rolls his eyes. “It didn’t feel-... I decided that this work would be far more interesting than what I was already doing, and traded in my gills for wings.”

Martin hums and nods. “I’ve never been up in research, only’ve gotten the reports back.”

“I know it doesn’t sound… well, glamorous. It’s not like being down on earth, working as an angel on some prick’s shoulder, but it really is fascinating, especially considering I don’t feel sexual attraction- Oh, um.” Jon turns his full attention back to Martin, who’s blinking in surprise. “I-I, um. I hope that’s not a problem? If you wish to continue this relationship in the future, I mean.”

“No, no!’ Martin reaches over to lay his hand over Jon’s. “That’s… Great? That you trust me with that I mean! Not that being ace also isn’t great, it really is. I mean in the way that you know this about yourself and feel close enough to me to share it, not in the way where I don’t want to have sex with you, because I do. I mean! I find you sexually attractive. Not having sex is not a deal breaker for me in any way, and I’m just going to shut up now and figure out what I want to eat.” With bright red cheeks Martin looks down on the menu staunchly.

Jon raises both of his eyebrows, but can’t keep his smile suppressed. “Are you sure? I certainly wouldn’t mind hearing how great asexuality is one more time.”

“Oh shut up.”

Jon’s laugh comes out in little snickers that he fails to hold back, but he’s smiling so brightly that Martin can’t help but smile back and fall a little more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to Gla22 for betaing this chapter!
> 
> Mythological references (except for one, I'll let you know) comes from theoi.com!
> 
> Pandaisia - The goddess of rich banquets. Sometimes portrayed as an attendant to Aphrodite.
> 
> Antheia - The goddess of flowers and flowery wreaths worn at festivals and parties (It's amazing how specific these can be). Also sometimes portrayed as an attendant to Aphrodite.
> 
> Pothos - The god of sexual longing, yearning, and desire. He's actually one of the Erotes, and gets to be Martin's shitty dad in this fic. Yay for him?
> 
> Anteros - The god of requited love and avenger of the unrequited. He's also one of the Erotes. In some version of the myths Anteros is the child of Aphrodite and Ares, and in others he's the child of Poseidon and Nerites (both of whom are male). The Poseidon-Nerites fatherhood of Anteros isn't on theoi.com and I learned about it from an Overly Sarcastic Productions video. It's also the one I'm using in this fic.
> 
> Eumople - A nereid (sea nymph) of sea shanties. Apparently her name also means "the fine singer". This is purely a reference to Jon being able to sing well, because I like that.
> 
> Who raises Jon? - Amphitrite, who is a nereid and Eumople's sister and Poseidon's wife. Jon was raised in Poseidon's bit of Olympus.
> 
> Jon's necklace -> https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Angel-Wings-Heart-Locket-14K-Gold-Plated-Sterling-Silver-Memorial-Love-NEW-/161641399316?roken=cUgayN
> 
> The tea they're drinking, specifically the Sweet Nothings one -> https://www.adagio.com/gifts/love_petals.html

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to Gla22 for betaing this chapter!
> 
> Okay so Greek Mythology and other references:
> 
> The Theoi Gamelioi is a group of deities of marriage, which includes Aphrodite, among others.
> 
> Aphrodite's epithets: Risen from the Sea, Foam-Born, Mother of Desire
> 
> Psithyristês - An epithet I stole from Aphrodite that's meant to represent a group of Loves. Meant to be a reference to the lonely. Means "Whispering".
> 
> Kataskopia - Another epithet I stole from Aphrodite that's meant to represent a group of Loves. Meant to be a reference to the eye. Means "Spying" or "Peeping".
> 
> Symbols of Aphrodite: Goose (swan was more Apollo's thing apparently), Roses, Pearls 
> 
> Ivy - Means friendship, fidelity, marriage, wedded love, affection in Victorian flower languages
> 
> The Erotes - Basically the Greek versions of cupids. In Greek Mythology the Erotes were a group of gods of love, in this the Loves are basically demigod Erotes Juniors.
> 
> Iris - The goddess of rainbows and another messenger for the gods. The Loves aren't important enough to get Hermes.
> 
> Martin's wings are meant to look like Milvus milvus's wings. Jon's, which haven't been describe yet, are meant to look like Athene blewitti.
> 
> All Greek mythology info from Theoi.com


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